Kukri, Newton billhook alternative
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Not a kukri, but I can recommend the Condor Bushcraft Parang Machete
I have the shorter and discontinued Eco Parang, but the slightly longer blade of the Bushcraft Parang is no bad thing. Mine needed the handle reshaped to fit me, but I think that is the intent. Was easy. I also replaced the nylon sheath with a plastic thing I made from scrap that carried at an angle. Have used it to limb a number of trees and lots of pruning. Edge holds up well.
Thin blades, like the above, are better for clearing undergrowth than traditional kukri
Thin blades, like the above, are better for clearing undergrowth than traditional kukri
I have the bushcraft parang, and can confirm it is brilliant. I cleared 1.3ha or elders with it and didn't miss a beatNot a kukri, but I can recommend the Condor Bushcraft Parang Machete
I have the shorter and discontinued Eco Parang, but the slightly longer blade of the Bushcraft Parang is no bad thing. Mine needed the handle reshaped to fit me, but I think that is the intent. Was easy. I also replaced the nylon sheath with a plastic thing I made from scrap that carried at an angle. Have used it to limb a number of trees and lots of pruning. Edge holds up well.
Thin blades, like the above, are better for clearing undergrowth than traditional kukri
Edit; Russ says it's a Martindale small machete 
I have a Martindale ....bog standard British army golok? type, and the handle has been altered to fit me too.
It's good, it's very sound. Lightweight enough to use for a long time without exhaustion. Does everything from reedy grass to brash. Brambles and willows no bother.
I have a Martindale ....bog standard British army golok? type, and the handle has been altered to fit me too.
It's good, it's very sound. Lightweight enough to use for a long time without exhaustion. Does everything from reedy grass to brash. Brambles and willows no bother.
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Glad to hear you get on with a golok. It sounds very different to the Martindale goloks that I have encountered, which were thick edged, heavy bladed, with uncomfortable handles with insufficient drop. When Bardster reground some goloks for better cutting for a jungle trip, the edges quickly failed in use. I have a Martindale Jungle Knife, which was meant to do what the golok does, but better…and I have always been disappointed. It’s softer than ideal, the handle isn’t great and cannot be made to compare to the parangs. I think there are compromises made to brush clearing in the name of some other requirements.
It's interesting to see how different groups around the world have solved the same problem.
clearing scrub is a world wide task and the tools from around the world are designed to work with the local environment. If it's mainly grass the blade tends to be thinner etc.
Like many of us I have several styles of tools - billhooks, long handed billhooks, parang, golok etc.
I have a lovely parang i bought in Borneo with the handle and sheath in zebra stripe wood.
TBH, I don't use the long bladed knives much because the billhook is less threatening to the British public. If someone sees a guy wandering round a wood with a billhook they generally think forester.
clearing scrub is a world wide task and the tools from around the world are designed to work with the local environment. If it's mainly grass the blade tends to be thinner etc.
Like many of us I have several styles of tools - billhooks, long handed billhooks, parang, golok etc.
I have a lovely parang i bought in Borneo with the handle and sheath in zebra stripe wood.
TBH, I don't use the long bladed knives much because the billhook is less threatening to the British public. If someone sees a guy wandering round a wood with a billhook they generally think forester.
As implied above - it all depends on the 'scrub' you are clearing. Most of the large areas I work with are bramble and bracken - so nothing over 15mm stem really (if it is, heavier tools come out). For efficiency, and because sustained hard work is becoming less easy, I have switched from the various bladed solutions to mechanical. I was using a brush cutter but have now switched to electric hedge type cutters- they are surprisingly efficient, make far less noise and much safer (very difficult to cut yourself, no material flying around to get in your eyes, and no damaged blades from hitting unseen rocks). Less 'soul' than swinging a blade around but I can get four times the area covered with far less physical effort.
I know the above is a bit of a tangent for the thread, but if you have large area of thinnish material to clear (as opposed to saplings and the like) it is worth considering.
I know the above is a bit of a tangent for the thread, but if you have large area of thinnish material to clear (as opposed to saplings and the like) it is worth considering.
Mine's not thick edged, and I'm pretty small. I find it quite whippy in use.....you have me wondering now, is it a golok ? I'd need to ask Russ. He was the one to make it fit me comfortably......nearly twenty years ago.
Mine keeps an edge quite well too.
Edit: Russ says it's a small machete
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Much the same to say as Broch, if you're serious about clearing brambles and things of similar thickness then a long handled hedgecutter is the way to go. For thicker stuff I'd use a small, top handled chainsaw.
Can't comment on kukris as I've never used one but I've found parang style blades very efficient due to the front heavy blade and no pointy tip to worry about. You can bury a parang into wood right up to the end of the blade. Upswept blades like a Latin machete tend to glance off at the tip so it's wasted space really.
Can't comment on kukris as I've never used one but I've found parang style blades very efficient due to the front heavy blade and no pointy tip to worry about. You can bury a parang into wood right up to the end of the blade. Upswept blades like a Latin machete tend to glance off at the tip so it's wasted space really.
Hi Mary
Im sure it’s was a Martindale small machete from what I can recall and there a lot thinner than the Goloks.
Another thumbs up for the Condor bushcraft Parang
Another option would be a Fiskars brush hook another very versatile tool and the longer handle makes for easy adjustment in your power swing.
Cheers Russ
@warthog1981
Cheers Russ
I kwow it's a Martindale, but when I went looking for a link all that came up was Golok, so that's what I wrote
It's a blooming good tool
Cheers Russ
I kwow it's a Martindale, but when I went looking for a link all that came up was Golok, so that's what I wrote
It's a blooming good tool
Glad to hear Condor may have improved things over the years with their parangs. I have an old Condor Parang (don't think it has any other parts to the name) and it is terrible - it's really thick, it's really heavy, and the edge bevel is really steep so it acts more like a (rubbish) axe. The weight and lack of balance means it's tiring to use and only gets brought out when I can't find one of the decent machetes. Not sure why I didn't return it when it arrived all those years ago!
Sounds like the first Condir Parang I saw.
Like this one??
Mary,
This?
Martindale Golok Machete
Visit online to find our Martindale golok knife, lightweight and easy to use. An extremely useful tool for civilian use. Visit online to find out more information
heinnie.com
Or this?
Martindale Paratrooper Machete
The Martindale Paratrooper has been a staple tool of British forces for a very long time. It's a no-nonsense tool to be used in the bush, forests or for clearing your bramble patch.
heinnie.com
That's looks like the one - horrid thing in my experience though I did see previously that they've made a few versions of it, calling it the same thing, sometimes with a partial tang so it's possible they make other changes to thickness and grind over the years without renaming them. That price you've linked to is I think over double what I paid.Sounds like the first Condir Parang I saw.
Like this one??
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